Iran Claims Solidarity with Lebanon… And So Do the French
Late Sunday night, Iran’s top religious leader praised the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah for launching attacks on Israel.*
“The [Israelis] want Lebanon to be a meat in their mouth, but the powerful Hezbollah has prevented their dream from being realized.” Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech on Iran’s state-controlled news.
“The crimes and the atrocities in the recent weeks in Palestine and Lebanon have proved again that the existence of Israel in this region is an evil and cancerous being and an infected tumor,” he added.
Meanwhile, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami hailed Hezbollah as “a radiant sun that emblazons and warms the all Muslims and free nations, including the Palestinians,” Iran’s Fars news agency reported.
“What is going on in Lebanon today eliminates all the possible doubts about the necessity for the powerful presence of the resistance movement in that country,” Khatami was quoted as saying.
The Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar stressed that Israel would “regret its crimes once [the] Muslim states resort to action,” according to the Fars report.
Najjar condemned the Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian and Lebanese people, accusing Washington of indulging Israeli escalation. He also warned Israel of the consequences of invasion into Syria.
In an obvious show of unanimous support for the terrorists, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi also expressed support for Syria. “Iran [is] standing by the Syrian people and Israel [will] face unimaginable losses if it attacks Syria.”
“We have offered and will still offer Syria and Lebanon [military] and humanitarian support,” he added.
On Saturday, the Israeli army said that it had bombed the no-man’s land laying between Lebanon and Syria. But Israel’s head of military operations General Gadi Azincot told a news conference in Jerusalem that Syria was not an objective.
Israel launched its offensive Wednesday on Lebanon in retaliation for the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah guerillas. Over 700 rockets have been fired on northern Israel by Hezbollah since the intense and escalating battle broke out.
It’s no secret that Iran wishes to see the Jewish State annihilated. It’s been a constant theme for that terrorist-supporting nation. However, many American observers appear surprised that France said it is sending Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to Beirut to express support for Lebanon’s government and solidarity between the French people and the Lebanese.
De Villepin did not offer any praise or sympathy to Israel, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with Frances history of anti-Semitism.
During the Nazi occupation of France, the French police and security forces were more than willing to help the Nazis round up Jews to send them to the concentration camps. In fact, the French were so good out apprehending Jewish people, the Nazis allowed them to operate practically unsupervised by the Gestapo and the SS.
Even in unoccupied France, under the Vichy government, Jews were rousted by the French police and military as a symbol of their allegiance to the Third Reich. But French anti-Semitism didn’t end with their liberation from the Nazis. France has a track record of opposing Israel at every turn and voting for every United Nations resolution condemning Israel. In fact, according to United Nations observers, the UN has passed more resoultions condemning Israel than they have any other country including Iran, Cuba, North Korea, etc. And the Israel-haters could always count on the French vote.
In addition, the French have been experiencing a great deal of civil unrest on the part of their Muslim population, and France’s leftist President Chirac was slow to act when riots broke out within the Islamic community and spread into the heart of Paris. It’s believed de Villepin trip to Lebanon is a symbolic gesture of solidarity with France’s own Muslims. Some may point out that in France, there is a very thin line between solidarity and appeasement; just as there’s a thin line between appeasement and cowardice — appeasers and cowards.
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Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance. He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc.
Technorati Tags: President Bush, Israel, Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, Terrorism
July 17th, 2006 at 10:49 pm
THE SANCTITY OF LIFE
BY: FERN SIDMAN
As the war in Israel enters its sixth day, we have witnessed unprecedented Katyusha rocket attacks from Syrian and Iranian backed Hezbollah militia on the cities of Acco, Nahariya, Tzfat and most recently in Haifa.
CNN reports that, “In the attack on Haifa, one of the Hezbollah rockets hit a railway depot in the city’s industrial zone, killing at least eight and wounding 17 others — six of them seriously,” — Israeli medical services said.
The report goes on to say that, “Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday that his fighters still have plenty of weapons and the will to keep fighting. Our fighters are ready, and they love the confrontation and have the determination to defeat,” he said in a televised address in Arabic to the Lebanese people. And as we surprised [Israel] in the sea, and as we surprised them in Haifa, we will surprise them with what’s beyond Haifa,” Nasrallah said.
He accused Israel of attacking civilian targets, while insisting that Hezbollah was patient and has aimed its rocket attacks only at the Israeli military.
“The enemy does not know our capabilities,” he said. “The Zionist enemy is ignorant of what we have on all levels. We are still in the beginning, and the Zionists will see.”
On the southern front in Gaza, CNN reports that, “Israeli forces redeployed to Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza early Sunday to halt Qassam rocket launches, the IDF said. The Israeli military moved in after launching three airstrikes overnight Saturday to quell “terror infrastructures” in northern Gaza.
At this juncture in time, the reaction of the world to this latest Middle East conflict has been cascading in at a blinding pace. According to the American Foreign Press, “Russia, France, Britain and Italy criticized Israel for its “disproportionate” use of force.
It is to no one’s surprise that the European Union chimed in with their own condemnation of Israel’s offensive in Lebanon. According to an Associated Press report issued on 7/13/06, it states, “The European Union on Thursday criticized Israel for using “disproportionate” force in its attacks on Lebanon following the cross-border raid by Hezbollah guerillas who captured two Israeli soldiers.”
The EU also called Israel’s naval blockade cutting off supply routes to Lebanon unjustified.
Separately, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he was planning a peace mission to the Middle East.
“The European Union is greatly concerned about the disproportionate use of force by Israel in Lebanon in response to attacks by Hezbollah on Israel,” according to a statement issued by Finland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency. “The presidency deplores the loss of civilian lives and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The imposition of an air and sea blockade on Lebanon cannot be justified.”
In the EU’s strongest comment on the escalating violence, the statement said “actions, which are contrary to international humanitarian law, can only aggravate the vicious circle of violence and retribution, and cannot serve anyone’s legitimate security interests.”
And while the world and leaders of the G8 summit urge Israeli restraint and the rest of the world is busy castigating and lambasting Israel for defending itself against Hezbollah, one of the world’s leading terrorist organizations, we can only sit and ponder what the world’s perspective is on the sanctity of life.
Let us remember that this conflict with Hezbollah forces in Southern Lebanon began on Wednesday, July 12th, with a brazen and surprise attack on an Israeli military outpost on the Israeli-Lebanese border. Katyusha rockets killed three Israeli soldiers and two were kidnapped by Hezbollah terrorists. Five more Israeli soldiers were subsequently killed as a result of a Hezbollah planted land mine. Israel immediately demanded the return of the two soldiers and since that time there has been no response from Hezbollah except for the outrageous demand of “direct negotiations” with Israel over the release of thousands of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel.
We also must remember that Cpl. Gilad Shalit, is still being held captive by Hamas forces somewhere in Gaza.
It should be clear to the world that while in the past Israel has agreed to prisoner exchanges with the forces of terrorism in the Middle East, this time around Israel will not acquiesce to the blackmail of the Arab enemy. Direct negotiations with the enemy and the possibility of a prisoner exchange must be ruled out as solutions.
And so the world is up in arms, and has expressed shock and dismay that Israel would wage such an intense battle “just” for the release of three soldiers. The world labels the response from Israel as “disproportionate” and “unjust”. This kind of response should bring the nation of Israel great comfort and hope.
While the vociferous Arab enemy and the world devalues and cheapens life, we must hold our collective heads up high and continue to declare to the world in no uncertain terms, that the life of one Jew demands that we employ a bold and relentless effort to secure his release. It must be made clear to the world that the nation of Israel and the Jewish people places an incredibly high value on life, respects and reveres it, even if it is “only” one life. We must enunciate our view that it is incumbent on the nation of Israel to move mountains to save a Jewish life and that we will not be deterred by the plethora of criticism and condemnations spewed forth by a world that feels that Jewish blood is cheap and meaningless.
In the end, we much prefer the world’s condemnations, rather than their condolences when a Jewish life has been snuffed out. The Torah tells us that the life on one person is tantamount to an entire world. Today we are in a battle to save three worlds. Today we are in a battle to preserve Jewish life and to declare to a world predicated on callous disregard for human life, that we, the nation of Israel are indeed a different and special nation. It is a nation that places enormous emphasis on the sanctity of life.
This position has been evidenced both in Gaza and Lebanon, with careful measures not to target civilian populations, even though it is abundantly clear that these “civilians” are supporters and advocates of the very terrorists that we are fighting. In Gaza, these innocent “civilians” lob grenades and bombs at Israeli troops with one hand while holding their own child in the other.
The Arab enemy is well aware that the nation of Israel respects life and exploits that dear and cherished value to their own end. They interpret and perceive this respect for “innocent civilians” as a sign of weakness and surrender and capitalize on the humanity and civility of the nation of Israel. As a result, Israel has sustained an inordinate number of casualties and deaths because of the scrupulous measures that we implement to spare the lives of our ferocious and unremitting enemies.
When we read of “innocent civilians” being killed by Israeli rockets, we must know that the Israeli government precedes every attack with the spreading of thousands of leaflets warning “civilians” to leave the area. We also know that the term “innocent civilians” as it applies in this latest conflict is a misnomer and an erroneous term. These people who call themselves “civilians” are rather enemy combatants, for they spare no words in praising Hezbollah and Hamas. Yet, Israel treats these members of the Arab enemy with respect and warns them of imminent attacks.
So if we are deluged by the incessant and insane condemnations of the world and if we hear the hackneyed and trite expression, “disproportionate reaction” pertaining to the Israeli offensive, ad nauseum, our hearts must swell with pride and we must revel in the majesty and glory of this special and chosen nation of Israel. We must raise our voices to the Heavens and say the words, Mi K’Amcha Yisroel. Who is like your people Israel?? We must raise our cups every week at the conclusion of the holy Sabbath and say the words, Hamavdil bein Yisroel L’Amin when we pronounce with pride the DIFFERENCE between Israel and the nations of the world. What other nation, would wage this type of battle to secure the freedom and welfare of “just” three people. For no other nation or no other leader can fully comprehend or understand the glorious respect that the nation of Israel has for the lives of its people.
Let us continue to beseech the Almighty G-d of Israel with our prayers an supplications for the release of these three solders of the nation of Israel and let us ask Hashem to march into battle with the nation of Israel. Concerning our enemies, let us recite the worlds of the sweet singer of Israel, King David who said, (Psalms, chapter 83), “Let them (our enemies) be shamed and terrified forever, then they will be disgraced and they will be doomed. Then they will know that You whose name is Hashem (Almighty G-d of Israel) are alone, Most High, over all the earth.”
July 20th, 2006 at 4:57 pm
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to Beirut to express support for Lebanon’s government and solidarity between the French people and the Lebanese.
The visit was about organising the evacuation of French citizens from Lebannon. Which unlike the Americans the French are not charging their citizens for.
Israel is only strengtening Hizbollah with its bombing raids. History is full of examples of radicalising people by over zealous government attacks on terrorist.
we can only sit and ponder what the world’s perspective is on the sanctity of life.
Many people make the arguement against stem cells based on the arguement that you can take innocent life to save innocent life. Yet this is what you are advocating Israel should do
that we will not be deterred by the plethora of criticism and condemnations spewed forth by a world that feels that Jewish blood is cheap and meaningless.
How about christian and muslim blood is it less important?
hackneyed and trite expression
The pot calling the kettle black there.
July 20th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
above should read you cannot take innocent life to save innocent life.